SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to help organizations around the world to transform paper-based processes into fast, easy and secure digital transactions, DocuSign – the global eSignature and Digital Transaction Management (DTM) leader – made the DocuSign Spring '17 Release available today.

The release includes enhancements and updates to the company's eSignature solution and broader DTM platform – the most significant of which include deeper integrations with Google Docs, the availability of the eNotary feature in eight US states, the personal eHanko signing option in Japan and the availability of DocuSign Payments.

"The Spring '17 Release builds on our largest product update ever in December last year, where we shipped more new features than in the last several quarters combined," said Ron Hirson, chief product officer at DocuSign. "Today's release expands our exceptional user experiences, while further empowering industries, customers and partners to go digital."

New for the Spring '17 Release is the DocuSign for Google Docs add-on. This new integration enables users to sign, send and manage documents directly from Google Docs – saving time by conveniently starting a DocuSign workflow directly from the Google Docs editor, or from Docs' recent documents. This includes the automatic saving of signed documents to Google Drive, as well as Gmail integration for sending them – one of the most requested features.

On the real estate front, most homebuyers and agents find the paper-based home financing and closing process cumbersome and lengthy. That's why DocuSign created its new eNotary feature, so senders can request electronic notarial acts and Notaries can host in-person signing sessions.

Released for early access in the DocuSign Winter '17 Release in December and generally available this month in the DocuSign Spring '17 Release, the new eNotary feature eliminates the need to print, scan or mail closing documents. All actions can be performed within the DocuSign platform, including applying a seal and exporting a notary log. These in-person eNotarizations can be performed via DocuSign in Idaho, Indiana, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Washington (in addition to North Carolina, which has been available since 2014).

For Japan, the adoption of eSignature has been influenced by the fact that signers are accustomed to using a Hanko stamp to represent their signature on paper documents. That's why DocuSign is launching the personal eHanko in the DocuSign Spring '17 Release, in partnership with Shachihata Inc. – a leading company in Japan's traditional hanko culture. It complements the basic eHanko functionality launched in December last year. And according to DocuSign Japan's vice president, Hayato Koeda, Japanese businesses and consumers will see tremendous benefit.

"The advantages of digitization are more widely recognized today in Japan. However, traditional Japanese business customs including the process of affixing a seal remain, resulting in the persistent use of paper, which acts as a bottleneck to improving work efficiency," he explained.

"By collaborating with Shachihata, we are providing a solution that makes it easier for Japanese companies to improve operational efficiency, compliance measures and customer experience. In Europe and the United States, many progressive companies have already undertaken the move towards digitization. With this solution, Japanese companies can also achieve digital transformation with completely paperless business operations."

In addition to the above, DocuSign users around the world will benefit from other enhancements in the DocuSign Spring '17 Release, including:

DocuSign Payments: on the heels of US availability in February this year, DocuSign Payments will be enabled for customers in the UK, Canada and Australia this month, offering support for payments in GBP, CAD and AUD currencies.

New DocuSign Experience:

Document Visibility – this makes it easier for senders to control document access by limiting who can view documents in an envelope.

Shared Template Folders – administrators can now create and organize folders to share templates with users and groups. Senders can now quickly locate and use the templates shared with them.

About DocuSign, Inc.DocuSign® is changing how business gets done by empowering anyone to send, sign and manage agreements anytime, anywhere, on any device with trust and confidence. DocuSign and Go to keep life and business moving forward. For more information, visit www.docusign.com, call +1-877-720-2040, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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